Therapies

White Oak Natural Health offers a variety of therapies and training that work at the physical, emotional and energetic levels; bespoke treatment plans can be devised for you incorporating any combination of these practices. Please feel free to call me on 07790 775819 or email steve@whiteoakhealth.co.uk and I will be happy to advise.

Initial consultation and treatment usually lasts one and a half hours and costs Â£50; treatments thereafter last an hour and cost Â£40. Variable rates for longer sessions, shorter top-up treatments, or for long-term clients booking blocks of treatment are negotiable.

Please note that appointments cancelled less than 24 hours before must be paid for in full.

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Therapies and Approach:

My primary background is in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture, which developed in China over the last few thousand years, spreading to and further evolving in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Whereas Western Medicine largely focuses on the individual mechanisms and components that make up the body, Oriental Medicine begins with the recognition of whole-body functional patterns – instead of considering an illness as being primarily caused by bacteria, for example, or due to a particular component of the body failing, the Oriental Medical Practitioner considers the body as a whole, looking for characteristic signs of dysfunction in terms of the movement and distribution of heat, fluids and energy, or in terms of the overall functioning of the organ systems.

It is because Oriental Medicine first looks at the body from this holistic perspective that it can be particularly effective in treating whole system problems, patterns of chronic illness characterised by clusters of unexplained (and, in Western terms, unconnected) symptoms, and emotional or psychological issues.

Treatment can take the form of bodywork (including Hichibuku Therapy and Anma Massage), acupressure or acupuncture, moxibustion (the burning of plant matter near the body or on the end of a needle) and nutritional and lifestyle advice.

I have also been influenced by alternative Western approaches including Reichian therapy, Functional Integration (Feldenkrais), Structural Integration (Rolfing), Somatics and Helenori Systems. In combination with aspects of Thailand’s Ancient Sen Healing Massage and contemporary Fascial Stretch Therapy, these influences express themselves as Somatic Restructuring , a form of structural bodywork designed to correct the engrained imbalances and restrictions of the body. By freeing the fascia and working at a deep structural level, the body can be opened into freer movement, regaining its former suppleness and range. In addition, balancing the structure of the body in relation to symmetry and gravity, and helping the nervous system to incorporate the new patterns of movement, can also help to balance the emotional and psychological aspects of being. When this is achieved, stress on the body is reduced and old emotional traumas can be spontaneously expelled from the bodymind system.

Of course, the greatest gift a therapist can give a client is the ability to maintain their health beyond the treatment room. In order to enable this autonomy, I also offer Wellness Coaching, including relaxation exercises and lifestyle and dietary advice, and Holistic Fitness Training, which can range from a set of simple exercises to encourage healing, to an intensive fitness programme designed to increase a client’s athletic ability.